


Of Men and Horses

by HolmesianDeduction



Category: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011), Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - All Media Types, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - John Le Carré
Genre: Horses, M/M, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-22
Updated: 2011-12-22
Packaged: 2017-10-27 20:56:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/299967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HolmesianDeduction/pseuds/HolmesianDeduction
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bill Haydon was never known for his love of horses, but Jim Prideaux was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Men and Horses

             Bill Haydon didn't always like horses.  They spooked him with their long, spindly, powerful legs and large, soulful eyes.  He had avoided them for years, had refused to go near them in his youth, and had planned to never so much as touch a horse if he could help it.

             But then there was Jim Prideaux, and he _loved_ horses.

             Suddenly, Bill Haydon was no longer able to help it.

             The first time that Jim coaxed him down to the stables in the pouring rain, Bill was as scared out of his skin as he was soaked to it, but the barn had been dry and warmed by the bodies of several indescribably large, breathing mammals.  Quietly, Jim had gone down the rows, introducing Bill to each horse by name and urging him to pet the nose of each one, gingerly assuring him each time that they wouldn't bite him.

             It wasn't until a few weeks later that Jim was able to convince Bill to ride Gwynn, a mild-mannered paint who was content to trot just fast enough to keep up with Jim's Ignatius, a temperamental Arabian of whom Bill was still more than a little wary.

             After that, Bill went to the stables with Jim every chance he got, and while he never was the sleek fusion of man and horse that Jim became every time he slipped into the saddle, he found that he enjoyed riding, and even just the company of the horses.  Their quiet nickering and even their smell had become synonymous with Jim - with the quiet patience of his voice, and the way he always smelled, as though he had just been out in the field - never like someone who spends all day in the office, and that was a comfort.

             There came a time, however, when Bill suddenly began coming to the stables less and less, or else came by himself when no one else was there.  Jim never questioned it, and neither did the horses.  They merely watched and waited, and accepted.

             Then Jim Prideaux was shot and taken prisoner.

             For months afterwards, Bill went out to the stables alone, carefully brushing and talking to the horses in choked whispers that only they could hear, even if they did not necessarily understand.  Not once did he pull his saddle from the wall, however.

             Then one day, he stopped coming altogether.

             The horses, like the mention of Jim, had become unbearable, and as he could not avoid the latter, he decided to cut himself off from the former, knowing that no one would think anything of it.

             After all, Bill Haydon was not known for his love of horses, but Jim Prideaux was.


End file.
